3:37 AM
by possum
Summary: Chloe gets an unexpected call that changes everything.
1. Chapter 1

Somewhere in a far away land, Chloe was vaguely aware that her phone was ringing. She rolled over in her bed and willed it to stop. Blessedly it did.

She smiled in relief and snuggled deeper into her pillow, only to again be awoken by the shrill ring of the phone. She reached blindly for it and squinted at the brightly lit screen. She definitely didnt know that number.

She debated for a spilt second not to answer, but then thought about Veronica. What if she was in trouble?

She pushed answer, "Veronica?"

Chloe heard a deep chuckle, "Didnt peg you for playing for the other team, Payne."

Chloe squinted as if that would help her identify the person on the other end of the phone. "Who is this?"

"Now Im heartbroken. Dont you recognize my voice?"

Chloe sat up and turned her bedside lamp on. She looked at the clock. It read 3:37AM. "Listen asshole, I have to be at work in 3 hours and 23 minutes. Youre drunk, and Im not in the mood!"

"Payne, I need you to pick me up and if you dont you wont have a job to go to."

Chloe paled as it instantly clicked in her head, "Briggs?! How did you get this number? Where are you? Why are you drunk?"

Joe Briggs pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, "Just get your little ass in your little red car and come get me at the Lucky 7s tavern." He disconnected and pulled his black leather jacket tighter.

"What- He hung up! He hung up on me!" Chloe screeched indignantly. She looked around her to vent and realized she was alone in her apartment just like always.

She sat there for a minute chewing her bottom lip debating on what to do.

Veronica would go and then beat the shit out of him.

Sonya would just go back to sleep.

Chloe grunted in frustration and got out of bed. She was neither of them, she was Chloe Payne and even though Briggs was a major asshole, he also sounded majorly drunk. She couldnt just leave him out there.

She shoved her feet into some furry boots, and threw her blue pea coat over her oversized T-shirt that read, 'Nurses call the shots', grumbling the whole time. "Why doesnt he just call a cab? Wont have a job, he wont have a job when Im done with him!" She slammed her door on her way out.

It took her thirty minutes and a call to 411 to find the Lucky 7s tavern. She had tried to call Briggs back at the number on her phone, but he didnt answer. She had become a tad worried.

She pulled up at the side of the bar and almost missed him. He was sitting on the cold pavement with his back against the wall, out cold.

She left the car running and got out to stand in front of him. She stood there staring at him for a few minutes. She could see his chest rising and falling so she was relieved that he was breathing.

It occurred to her that in sleep, he was softer. No harsh lines on his face, no angry words coming out of his mouth. Just a soft, gentle, boyish face. She wondered how old he was.

She shivered and remembered that he was the reason she was out at- she glanced at her watch-4:35am. She took great delight in slapping him across his face.

Briggs woke up gasping, fighting to get his hands out of his pockets to defend himself, "What the fuck?!"

His gaze focused in on Chloe standing before him, "What the hell did you do that for?"

Chloe smirked, "I was checking your reaction to painful stimuli? Or I didnt have any water?"

"Fantastic bedside manner, Payne."

Briggs struggled to get to his feet and Chloe ended up assisting him and guiding him to the car. He smelled like scotch and cigarette smoke.

He leaned against it while she unlocked the passenger side. He gave her a once over and caught sight of her t-shirt, "Did I interrupt the freshman sleepover or something?"

Chloe glared at him, "How do you know that you didnt interrupt some very hot sex?"

Briggs laughed, "With yourself? Come on, Chloe. If a woman was with a man, she would never wear clothes like that to bed."

Chloe frowned and looked down at herself. Maybe he had a point.

Briggs somehow made it into the car without killing himself and settled into the warm oasis. Chloe stood beside him with the door still open.

Briggs opened one eye, "Get in the car, Payne."

Chloe stood her ground, "No. Were not going anywhere till you tell me whats going on."

He sighed, "Your bare legs are making me cold. Get in the car and Ill tell you."

Chloe slammed his door closed and made her way around the car. She sat there looking at him expectantly.

Briggs was so tired and just wanted to go to bed. He didnt want or need this nurses judgment. He just wanted a ride.

"I was at a poker game. I drank, I lost, I drank some more, and then I lost some more. The end."

Chloe glared at him, "And how did I become your D.D.?"

"Dont have cab fare."

"What about calling a friend?"

"Dont have any."

Chloe startled, "My number?"

"What about it?"

Chloe glared again, "How did you get it?"

"Called the hospital, abused my authority."

Chloe fumed and yanked her seatbelt on. She looked over at Briggs, "Put your seatbelt on."

He fumbled with it for a moment before she took pity on him and reached across him to help.

Briggs took a deep breath and sighed, "You smell like sunshine." Then he promptly passed out.

Chloe froze and sat there gaping at him. "Briggs?" she said softly.

She realized he was out and sat heavily back in her seat. "Great! Just great! The nicest thing ANYONE had ever said to me and it comes from the biggest asshole Ive ever met."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Joe Briggs awoke with the distinct feeling that something was off. When he opened his eyes, he had the overwhelming feeling of disorientation and he had no clue where he was.

He realized that he was on an unfamiliar couch, in an unfamiliar living room, and when he looked under the blanket covering him he discovered he wasn't wearing any pants.

Briggs jumped up looking for his clothes, standing there in his boxer briefs and black t-shirt.

He saw his jeans, and leather jacket neatly folded on a nearby chair with his boots resting below them. He looked around himself, "Hello?"

An empty apartment greeted him. He was drawn to a wall of photos and after examining them, soon realized whose apartment he was in. Chloe Payne.

There she was smiling out at him from several life-filled photos. Chloe and the indignant Veronica at what looked to be a bar, Chloe and a huge group of people, that had to be her family, all smiling around a Christmas tree, and many others just like it. He felt a grin tugging at his mouth while looking at her infectious smile.

When he was done, he went about exploring her one bedroom apartment. Not in a creepy way, but in a is there anyone here kind of way.

"Chloe? Hello?"

He peeked into her bedroom and surveyed the unmade bed, glanced into the bathroom and then he was back in the living with attached kitchen. It was sparsely furnished, but neat and clean. Just like Chloe.

He chuckled. This place could fit into the living room of his penthouse.

He flashed back to college, dorm rooms, and crashing at friends houses. He discovered he missed that.

Missed having people around who wanted to hang out with you because of you, and not what you could do or how much money you made.

He snapped himself out of it and went to the kitchen to find something to drink.

From the pounding headache and cotton mouth he was sporting this morning, he deduced that he had been wasted last night.

How he came to be at Chloe's, he had no idea. He also had no idea why Chloe wasn't there as well. He was pretty sure that they hadn't hooked up, seeing as how he woke up on the couch and she was nowhere to be found.

Briggs poured himself a glass of orange juice and noticed a note on the kitchen counter.

_If you use the bathroom, put the lid down when you are done. I'm at work, here is a key to my apartment. Please lock it when you leave. You can give it to me at work, or slip it under the door- whatever. Just give it back and don't give it to someone at work! ~Chloe_

Briggs smirked. He could almost hear her saying the words out loud.

**

Chloe sat at the nurses station with her head propped up in her hands. She glanced at the clock. It read 8:37 A.M. She had officially been up 5 hours and was only into her first hour and a half of her 12 hour shift. Thank God she was in the ICU this morning. She didn't think she could handle the ER again like she did the morning of the bus bombing. Feeling the stares of her coworkers she turned to them, "What?!"

Veronica, Sonya, and Angel all leaned against the desk staring at her.

"Boot call," Veronica guessed.

Sonya shook her head, "Nah, she'd be smiling manically. Blackout drunk?"

Angel frowned, "No way. She wouldn't come out to Delaney's last night when I called. Said she was going to bed early. Loud neighbors?"

Chloe glared at all of them, "I'm so, so glad you all can make a game out of my life. I'm just tired!"

Veronica studied her carefully, "I still say boot call."

Chloe whipped her head around with slightly panic-y eyes, "No! No it wasn't!"

"A-ha!" Veronica cheered. "So there _was_ a call."

They swarmed her and Chloe felt like she was being interrogated. "No! I mean, yes. It was just a call! No booty involved!"

Sonya frowned, "So what were you doing?"

Chloe looked to her guardian Angel and saw that he too was waiting for an explanation. "It was just a favor for someone. No big deal. Now, can we please just leave it alone?"

They continued to stare at her and finally released her. They went back to their stations.

Veronica sat down and looked up at Chloe, "Fine, don't tell us. We are here if you need us."

Chloe snorted, "I'm not in any trouble! It's no big deal." With that she grabbed her bag of normal saline for Mr. Patterson's I.V.

Her hands were shaking as she primed the tubing. She didn't want them to know anything about her and Briggs.

Not that there was anything to tell. She still didn't know how she got him up to her 2nd floor apartment, but she had deposited him on the couch and used her detached nurse's mind to take his shoes and pants off.

By the time she had done all that, it had been time to get ready for work. She briefly entertained the idea of calling in, but then realized she would be stuck there when he woke up.

So she had showered in a hurry, worrying the whole time that he was going to wake up and walk in on her, grabbed her navy blue scrubs, scratched out a note and ran from the apartment.

She kept thinking about his sunshine comment, and that made her nervous. It was probably drunk ramblings, but she couldn't get past it. That comment and the way he had stood behind her guiding her through that procedure, had totally thrown her for a loop.

Sometimes she would feel fluttering in her belly when she saw him, and then he would say something so heinous like 'funbags' and she wanted to puke. Why couldn't her body get in line with her head! She didn't even like him. 'I am so screwed,' she thought.


End file.
